


The Connor Project: American Tour

by brightlightsinthebigcity



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, Band Fic, Daddy Issues, Established Relationship, F/M, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Lies, Major Original Character(s), Minor Character Death, Shopping Malls, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Swearing, Tour Bus, Touring, for Zoe and Evan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-19 23:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11908338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightlightsinthebigcity/pseuds/brightlightsinthebigcity
Summary: Girl goes to the mall. Girl reconnects with high school friend during suicide awareness concert. High school friend offers girl a spot on the tour bus. Girl agrees because of cute boy. Cute boy has a girlfriend. Five young adults drive through the US. What could go wrong?Imagine Evan never got caught. Established Evan/Zoe. Leading up to Evan/OC.





	1. Let's Go to the Mall

It was a simple mission: Get in. Get a black shirt. Get out. Claire sighed, frustrated with herself for spilling pasta sauce on yet _another_ collared shirt at work. The Olive Garden had an easier uniform than most and while the stains certainly didn’t show, Claire was too exhausted to do laundry every night (especially since the laundry room in her apartment building was a bit spooky). Having a fourth shirt in the rotation would lengthen the time between washes and maybe give Claire that extra amount of sleep needed to keep herself from being as clumsy as she was.

But like many of Claire’s projects and day-to-day activities, she soon faced distractions. For example, her best friend from her old high school kept texting her.

 **Al the Pal:** Heyyy Claire! You’re never gonna guess where I am!

 **Al the Pal:** Okay, since you’re not responding, I’m assuming it’s taking you some thought figure it out.

 **Al the Pal:** Okay, you better not have blocked me after the Jello incident of 2013.

 **Al the Pal:** Girl.

 **Al the Pal:** I’M IN YOUR TOWN! Text me ASAP.

God, she really hadn’t changed since the last time they were together. Claire loved Al, but life had gotten too hard and she didn’t want to hold back her Ivy League bound friend. They still stayed in touch, but it was usually the Instagram comment or DM message here or there. It was rare to get a text, never mind several, unless Al was really excited about something. But why would she be here in September? Doesn’t she have college orientation? Come to think of it, Claire hadn’t had the time to check Facebook or anything that would update her on her friend’s future. She made a mental note to log on later. Spotting the J. C. Penney, Claire picked up the pace to the store. _Maybe if I make this trip quick enough, I can grab some food from the food court._

Thirteen minutes later, Claire was making her way to the food court. But strangely, the relatively half-full mall was packed around a decent-sized stage set up right next to the food court. It was hard to see through the crowd, but it sounded like a Christian teen group singing. Claire tried to push through to the food court on the right, but soon stopped when she heard a familiar voice.

 _ **“There's a place where we don't have to feel unknown. And every time that you call out, you’re a little less alone!”**_ Almost immediately as she turned her head toward the stage. There was her childhood friend Alana Beck looking as passionate as usual on the electric keyboard. Claire then started taking in the other members on stage. Was that Jared Kleinman on the drums, the kid who once got kicked out of her freshman health class for refusing to refer to the male genitalia as its scientific term (“what do you mean I’m not allowed to refer to the penis as a sex sword?). She recognized Zoe Murphy playing the electric violin, a step up from their days together in the middle school band with plastic instruments. There were a few other instrument players who looked older; Claire didn’t think they went to her old school. They looked like actual band members. Inevitably, the blonde’s eyes drifted to the boy center stage, gripping the microphone tightly like he was trying not to lose his balance in a subway car. He looked familiar; the sweaty upper lip, the tight nervous smile, the blue striped shirt. She couldn’t put a name or voice to the face though. His voice was rather beautiful though as he sang the last line.

 _ **“You will be found.”**_ His words gave Claire a genius idea. With a mischievous smile, she took her phone out of her back pocket and finally responded to Alana’s texts, the crowd roaring around her.

 **Claire Bear:** Heyyy Alana! You’re never gonna guess where I am!

 **Claire Bear:** I’ll give you a hint: You have been found.

As she tried to make her way towards the front of the stage, the cheering audience resisted, trying to nudge or elbow her back. Claire persevered, shoving her way to the side of the stage. Before she could call for Alana, her foot caught on something, possibly the wheel of the nearby Annie’s cart. The clumsy blonde began hurtling towards the ground when someone caught her, their hands rough on her. As they helped her back to her feet, Claire soon recognized the smirk and nearly laughed out loud.

“Woah there, M’lady. Looks like you were falling for me for a second there!” Almost immediately, Alana rushed over to Claire’s rescue, rolling her eyes.

“Jared! Don’t hit on her. She’s not gonna react like your little fan girls!” Jared took a step back to get a good look at the blonde, nodding in approval.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Dossett the Vet? Where did you run off to last year? I was gonna ask you to the Prom!” Claire laughed at the old nickname, shrugging off the strong emotions associated with the events of last year.

“You know I would have said no. Besides, Al here was a more organized date anyhow!” At the mention of her nickname, Alana reached over to hug her old friend.

“Where have you been? I’ve texted you several hundred times, Claire!” The blonde shrugged, ruffling Alana’s hair playfully.

“I work at the Olive Garden now. It’s a very demanding job. I work forty hours a week plus overtime to earn minimum wage plus tips!” Alana gasped, suddenly coming up with a better idea.

“Zo and Evan! Get your lovebird asses over here!” Sure enough, Zoe and the lead singer wandered over holding hands. When he saw you, his grip slipped.

“S-sorry, sweaty-“

“I know babe, your hands get sweaty,” Zoe quipped, her attention hyper-focused on the other three.

“So you know that while I’ve been the sole soul keeping the website for the Connor Project up to date and everything, we’ve been having some issues with our social media pages run by our very own Jared Kleinman,” Alana began as everyone looked pointedly at the aforementioned Jewish dork. He shrugged.

“Hey, you wanted a cool Instagram, right? The meme machine is still on it!” He finger-gunned, but only Evan half-hearted gestured back. Alana rolled her eyes, continuing her speech.

“Anyway, so Jared and I could really use some help on the online front. We could spend hours and days posting flyers, reading applications, interviewing strangers. Or… we could vote to accept Claire Dossett, high school friend of most of us, into the ranks effective immediately?” The applicant in question’s mouth dropped a little, shocked at the sudden impulse of her usually methodical best friend.

“Alana’s right as usual. I’m cool with Claire,” Zoe announced, flashing a grin to finally acknowledge the blonde band geek she remembered.

“Only if majority rules,” Jared decided with a smug smile, glancing over at his hopelessly awkward and anxious male companion. As Evan began sweating and stuttering, Claire instantly remembered Evan Hansen, the sweet but terribly anxious boy in her public speaking class junior year. _Still cute._

"I v-vote with Zoe. She can s-stay, stay here with us! That is if-f-f she wants to? She never exactly s-s-said yes, so I guess it’s up t-t-to her? I mean, I want her to s-stay. Not in a weird way… just in a not mean way because I think you’d be a good f-fit for the job?” Evan covered his face with his hands, clearly embarrassed. Claire’s heart went out to him; he was clearly struggling. Everyone turned their attention to the blonde, anticipating her decision. She smiled at all of them gently, sighing in disbelief before she took out her cell phone.

“I guess I’ll call my manager right now and tell him I’m not doing my 10-7 shift tomorrow!” Alana clapped giddily, immediately drawing up plans for the new sleeping arrangements. Zoe and Jared scampered off to help the band put the equipment away, Zoe patting Jared on the back as he muttered: “but now the boy-girl ratio is uneven.” As Claire dialed the memorized phone number one last time and pressed the phone to her ear, she caught Evan’s eye. His lips parted for a moment until his brain caught up with him, forcing his eyes to her all-black sneakers. The blonde quietly smiled to herself; perhaps this spontaneous life decision would work out after all. But as her boss answered the phone, it suddenly hit her: _am I gonna get paid for this?_


	2. Touring the Bus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Girl goes to the mall. Girl reconnects with high school friend during suicide awareness concert. High school friend offers girl a spot on the tour bus. Girl agrees because of cute boy. Cute boy has a girlfriend. Five young adults drive through the US. What could go wrong?
> 
> In this (filler) chapter, girl sees the living conditions and dynamics of the tour bus.

After a quick stop at Claire’s minuscule apartment to collect her few belongings, the Connor Project was fully equipped with its new member. The new social media coordinator, currently taking in the tour bus, was quite overwhelmed. Alana and Jared were uneven tour guides, with Alana providing almost too much detail and Jared providing the wrong kinds of details.

  
“So here are the bunk beds for the four of us. We got the individual and personalized bedding from Bed Bath and Beyond for $199.99 each.” Alana continued to explain the surrounding area as Claire began to lose focus. She looked over each of the beds and could pretty much guess whose was whose just by looking at it. Zoe was above Alana, her red plaid duvet looked almost identical to the bedding she had had since junior high. Claire remembered practicing together on the soft fabric, laughing at purposefully screechy notes. Alana’s bed was the only one that was properly made, almost military style. Her soft purple comforter had soft, minimalist accents of eggshell specks.

  
To the right of Claire, the boys’ beds were almost disastrous in comparison to the girls. On the top was a stained black t-shirt quilt covered in superhero insignias and video game logos. Despite the sheets being clearly due for a wash and the crumpled blanket, Claire did appreciate Jared’s aesthetic. Below him, the bed coverings were twisted in odd places, as if someone had fiddled with them continuously. However, the gentle pine trees on a light blue background were beautiful. Claire smiled gently to the absent boy’s style. The boy himself had gone to take a shower while Zoe was watching some music video on the community tv. Almost immediately, Claire realized she had not been paying attention to Alana’s long spiel. She tuned back in, but Alana had clearly not noticed any change.

  
“And on Mondays at five o’clock, we all watch a movie in the dining room and kitchenette area. We rotate who gets to choose the movie. Next Monday, it is unfortunately Jared’s choice.” At the mention of his name, the Jewish boy wearing glasses immediately found a spot to interrupt her consistent flow of words.

  
“You Dossett can share my bunk bed,” he said with a wink. Alana’s eyes widened at his statement, but Claire was unbothered.

  
“No, no, no! You will not have to share a bed with that horn dog! You can have the master bedroom!” Alana insisted, pushing her toward the end of the narrow hallway. The door swung open to reveal a modest-sized room with a queen bed. The bed side table and small bureau seemed to be squished between the bed and the walls, but it was definitely big enough for more than one person. Claire immediately felt guilty, as she thought back to the twin-sized bunk beds down the hall.

  
“Oh no! I couldn’t do that to you guys! Please, can’t we like rotate or something? Or Zoe and Evan can have it…” At that suggestion, Alana and Jared looked at each other before they began laughing, doubling over desperately.

  
“Ooohooo boy that’s a good one!”

  
“Like Tree Man would ever be able to sleep next to Z without shitting his pants!” Following a solid five minutes of hysterics, the pair finally calmed down.

  
“You really don’t remember Evan from high school, do you?” Claire shrugged, her mind wandering off to a reoccurring memory of the back of Evan’s head in their class, the cute little cowlick that always seemed to rebel against the rest of his groomed hairs. She caught herself, her ears flashing a quiet shade of pink before she answered.

  
“Um, he was in one of my classes before I left I think?” She answered carefully, aware that Zoe was only a room or two away. Claire didn’t want to out her odd and embarrassing high school crush on her first day of many in a confined space with his current girlfriend.

  
“P-public speaking,” The three turned to see Evan peeking in at the doorway of the master bedroom. He must have gotten dressed in the bathroom as he was in a new set of jeans and a blue polo, but his hair was quite damp, his neck dripping water onto his shoulders. Claire sucked in a breath, startled.

  
“You remember me?” She asked, a light feeling leaking through her chest. Evan nodded shyly, but as he opened his mouth, Jared cut in.

  
“Dude, how long have you been there? Spying on the new girl already?” The anxiety-ridden boy sputtered, trying to get out an explanation when Zoe appeared, hesitantly looping her arm around him.

  
“Enough to hear you poking fun at our relationship, Kleinman,” she glared at him, half-jokingly. Jared scoffed, crossing his arms.

  
“I mean it’s been almost a year, Hansen! How have you not gotten into Purple Streak’s pants yet?”

  
“OKAY, let’s not do this right now! Claire needs to unpack,” Alana interceded, pushing the three out the door before turning back to her childhood friend for one last sentence.

  
“I’ll set up a rotation schedule that doesn’t align with the movie and chore schedules for the bedroom if you really want, Claire Bear,” she added, her eyes looking at her with concern.

  
“Sounds good, Al. Just don’t want to get people upset,” the blonde quipped, avoiding the worried glance by focusing on her small suitcase. Alana sighed, shaking her head before she softly closed the door behind her. Alone with her thoughts, Claire flounced backward on the bed, a deep sigh erupting from within. Post sigh, she decided that she wouldn’t use the drawers, kicking her suitcase to the side. She reached over into the side pocket to remove a slim picture frame. Placing it serenely on her bed side table, Claire brushed the figure that her former self was hugging with her finger.

  
“Hey Claire?” She jumped at the sound of her name, looking defensively at the door to see Zoe looking over at her with an unrecognizable expression painted on her face. The dark haired girl appeared to be aware of the silent burden, but chose not to pursue it yet. After all, it was her first day.

  
“Wanna come pick the movie?” Claire nodded, knowing fully well she would have to fight Jared on the community decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all 45 of you who opened this fic! I've been pretty busy moving into college. But I have only three days of classes a week, leaving me some week days to sit and write a thousand or so words. I will try to update every other Friday if anyone cares. Go talk to me on my tumblr @way-too-out-of-touch and thanks for reading! :)


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